Ver. 11.-The harvest for the righteO'IJ,s. "Light is sown." Light is the type of everything pleasant. Perhaps it is conceived of here as bidden, like seed, in the ground. God's people no more see light about their paths than men can see seed8 in the ground. 'l'hey walk in darkness. But the seeds are there, and the light is there. And one day there will surely be revealings both for the seeds and the light-a harvest of the se{'rls, a harvest of the light. Perowne and others think that the verb "sown" is to be taken in the sense of" scattered," "diffused;" but the figure of light as hidden at present and waiting for a revealing day, is certainly more poc1 ical and suggestive. Professor Grove gives the material for an effective illustration. "Marvel- lous as it may appear, light can actually be bottled up for use. Take an engraving which has been kept for some days in the dark; expose it to full sunshine-that is, insulate it-for fifteen minutes; lay it on sensitive paper in a dark place, and at the end cf twenty-four hours it will have left an impression of itself on the sensitive paper, the whites coming out as blacks." Take "light" for vindication and ble;sing, see- I. LIGHT FOR THE RIGHTEOUS IB A0TUALLY IN EXISTENCE. They may not see it, but that does not matter. The farmer does not see his seed. God's response to all goodness is immediate; but he often keeps his response a secret until the right time for revealing comes. There is comfort and strength in knowing that the light exists. II. LIGHT FOIi. THE RIGHTEOUS IS IN GOOD KEEPING, As the earth keeps the seed, so God keeps vindication, full deliverance, and blessedness for the righteous. See the figure of martyr-souls safely kept under the altar, only crying, "How long, 0 Lord, how long?" There is comfort and strength in knowing that the light is safe. III. -LIGHT FOB THE RIGHTEOUS MUST llREAK FORTH SOME DAY. As surely as grass-blades will show from the seeds, and loaded wains carry home the harvest. The time for breaking forth will be God's time, and that is, in every way, the best time.-R. T. Ver. 12,-The inspiratim of cherished memories. "Give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness." Why does not the psalmist say, "at the thought of his holiness"? See that his point is this-you may be full of perplexity as you try to understand God's dealings with you fust now; but you can always get comfort from thinking of God's ways with you in the past. And then you can 'fery easily argue from what God has always been to what God surely is. I. THE PLEASURE OF OUR CHERISHED MEMORIES, we love to live in the past. Like the old soldiers, we are always " lighting our battles o'er." As we grow older, we find more and more pleasure in thinking of our early days-school-day sceoes; youthful friendships; opening struggles; first love, But the Christian finds his great interest in tracing God's guiding hand. He has no doubt at all about God's goodness and mercy as he reads over his past. Life seems to him dotted over with pillars, on which o~er and over again he has written his" Ebenezer." And the "rightness," the "holiness," of God is the thing that so much impresses him. He can see how God led, and where he led, and can say, "It was a good way." Verily the" Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all bis works." II. THE ARGUMENT FROM OUR CHERISHED MEMORIES, Whatever may be the appear- ances of things, God is the Unchangeable One; the Rock; the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. If we know what he was, we know what be is. The better we know what be bas been, the more fully and clearly we know what be is doing. No friend can bear that we should doubt that he will always be what we know him to be. We ourselves are distressed when those about us seem to fear lest we should be other than they know us to be, Never distrust God. All the ages teU what he bl\8 done, and whit he was, 11,nd what he is,-J:t.1', 3!0 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [rs. xcvm. 1-9.
Ver. 2.-The Divine character and government. "Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and truth are the foundation of his throne." l. WE ARE OFTEN IN DOUBT AND DIFFICULTY ABOUT THE DIVINE CHARACTER AND GOVERNME1''T. " Clouds and darkness are round about him." \Ve cannot reconcile all we see with: 1. Diuine omnipotence. Abortions. The means do not attain the end. 2. Divine wisdom. Or the wisdom was not perfect. 3. Divine J°ustice. 4. Divine goodness. II. AN OVERPOWERING OONVICTION THAT THE DIVINE CHARACTER AND GOVERNMENT ARE PERFECT. 1. We/eel that we are incapable J°udges of an infinite plan. We only see a part, therefore we C11nnot understand the whole. 2. What we can see and under- stand gives us unhou"R,d,ed faith in God in reference to what we cannot understand. 3. We feel assured that God is able to overrule what seems evil for final good, "All things work together for good."-8.